Turkish Journal of Geriatrics
2002 , Vol 5, Issue 3
DETERMINATION OF HEALTH STATUS AND SOME SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF PEOPLE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER IN SAKARYA NEIGHBOURHOOD, ALTINDAG HEALTH CENTER REGION IN ANKARA
Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı A.D., ANKARA, Prof.Dr.Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı A.D., ANKARA, Uzman Dr.
Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı A.D., ANKARA, Intern Dr. The socio-economic dimension of "elderness" is extremely important in addition to its demographic and physiological extent. The most considerable health problems among 65 years and older ages are the chronic and degenerative diseases. In this study carried out in Sakarya Neighbourhood, Altindag Center Region, we aimed both to determine some socio-demographic characteristics of people 65 years and older and to assess their life activities, health status and perceptions about "elderness". 205 of the total 225 elder people participated in this cross-sectional study. The average age of the participants was 70.3 (SD=4.6). 44.9% of the group was female; 68.1 % of them was married. Only 25.3% of the elder people living in this Neighbourhood were secondary school and higher educated. The most frequent health problem mentioned by the participants was "hypertension (56.1 %)". Moreover, the most recurrent answer about the drugs consumed by the population group were drugs for cardiovascular diseases (54.6 %), diabetic drugs (12.2 %) and analgesics (10.7 %). 21.9 % of the population highlighted that they were not using any. Keywords : Eldemess, Health, Illness, Social Status, Utilization of Health Services